Incident: Maritime Advisory issued

The Combined Maritime Forces command issues a maritime advisory to mariners travelling the Indian Ocean off Somalia. Commander Vice Admiral Bill Gortney uses the message to inform commercial seafarers that "Piracy is a problem that starts ashore." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report, 04/08/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier chased

A bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea, not otherwise identified,

detected on radar speed boats approaching from the stbd bow/port bow at a distance of 12nm. The speed boats increased speed and approached closer with a CPA of 0.01nm, master increased speed, all crew mustered, activated fire hoses, switched on all lights, sent distress signal, made evasive manoeuvres and succeeded in preventing the boarding.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Hansa Stavanger taken

The 20,000-tonne container vessel Hansa Stavanger, British owned, is seized off Somalia. (RTE News, 04/06/09)

Hamburg-based Leonhardt & Blumberg operate the ship, which was sailing between Kenya and the Seychelles. The crew includes "Two Ukrainians, three Russians, and 14 citizens of the Philippines," plus a German captain. (Kyiv Post, 04/08/09)

Wikipedia makes the date of capture 4/4/09 and says, citing Der Spiegel,

Around May 1st, 2009, the USS Boxer assisted around 200 members of the german special operations unit GSG-9 get close to the hijacked german container ship Hansa Stavanger. During the last phase of the operation the U.S. presidents' security advisor James Jones witheld final approval for the operation out of concern for the safety of the 25 sailors aboard the vessel. This led the german department of defense to abort the planned attack on the freighter...

A ransom of $15 million was placed on the ship. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Win Far taken

Taiwan's fishing trawler the Win Far 161 is hijacked with a crew of 30 on board while sailing near the Seychelles. "Skipper Yen Shun-nan and first engineer Tung Lin-hsiang are the only Taiwanese citizens on the Kaohsiung-registered vessel, while five crew members hail from China, 17 from the Philippines and six from Indonesia." The 700-ton ship was hijacked in waters "about 1,000 kilometers from Africa and 1,500 kilometers from the Gulf of Aden." (Taiwan News, 04/08/09)

Incident: Malaspina Castle taken

The "1981-built, 21,173 dwt Malaspina Castle, controlled by Wimbledon-based Navalmar (UK)" is taken in the Gulf of Aden "en route from Novorossisyk to China." It is operated by an Italian company. (Lloyds List, 04/06/09)

The Panamanian flagged ship is crewed by 16 Bulgarians working for "an Italian firm, B Navy" and is held in "southern Somalia" according to accounts of a phone call made by the first mate.(Sophia Echo, 04/09/09)

Incident: Shehenshah-E-Madina released

The Indian dhow Shehenshah-E-Madina and its crew of 18 have been released without ransom. The vessel was travelling from Somalia to the UAE. (Express News Service, 04/06/09)

Incident: Indian Ocean Explorer taken

The Indian Ocean Explorer is captured by pirates "400 nautical miles (about 750 kilometres) off the southern Somali port of Kismayo, between the Seychelles and Kenya" with 24 crew aboard. (DPA 04/06/09)

The Times says "The 115ft long vessel is a former oceanographic research ship converted for dive trips popular with well-heeled British and American tourists." It makes the hostage crew total as seven with tourists on the boat escaping capture. (Times, 04/03/09)

Passengers had disembarked just hours before the vessel was captured. (Telegraph, 04/02/09)

Incident: Tug taken

A Yemeni tug, not otherwise identified, is taken in the Gulf of Aden. No details. (BBC, 4/6/09 via Wikipedia)

Incident: Pleasure craft Tanit taken

A French pleasure craft, the 41-ft. Tanit, was taken by pirates off the Somali coast en route to Zanzibar making a French couple and their three year old son hostages. " 'We know where they [the pirates and hostages] are,' said Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister." (The Times, 04/07/09)

An additional couple had joined the original party on the Tanit en route. "The piracy monitoring group Ecoterra International said the hijacking took place some 640 kilometres (400 miles) off the coast of Ras Hafun, northeast Somalia." The French foreign minister said, "this anti-piracy [rescue] operation initiated by France now involves several countries." (AFP, 04/07/09)

The father of the captive family was described by his own father as "penniless, unemployed ... with no means of paying a ransom." "The skipper had spoken to his father shortly before his boat was seized by pirates, and reported engine failure." (Yachting Monthly, 04/07/09)

The Tanit owners' family blog remains up and is the source for some information about the voyage. (France24, 04/07/09)

French "authorities launched a rescue operation in which four crew members including a child were rescued. However, the skipper was killed in the incident. Two pirates were killed and three others detained by the authorities." (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Container ship taken

A container ship, not otherwise identified, is taken by pirates 315 NM southeast of Mogadishu. "The pirates sailed the vessel to an undisclosed location in Somalia." No details. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Container ship attacked

A container ship, not otherwise identified, is fired upon 280NM southeast of Socotra Island. The attackers numbered six in a single skiff and were armed with rifles. "The pirates opened fire on the vessel causing minor damages. The captain conducted evasive maneuvers which prevented the speed boat from closing in." Note that "The captain contacted the piracy reporting center who informed coalition forces." (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: Pacific Opal chased

The Singapore-owned tankship Pacific Opal is chased by three skiffs in the Arabian Sea. The HMCS Winnipeg, on duty as part of NATO's Operation Allied Protector sent a helicopter to the scene:

Pilot Maj. James Hawthorne said the pirates complied with Canadian instructions, which came in the form of a sign hanging from the side of the helicopter with the word "Stop" written in Somali.

"Whatever their intentions were, they complied without instructions and allowed the merchant vessel to proceed," Hawthorne said.

He added, "After we've deterred something, if they haven't actually done an act of piracy, which in this case they hadn't because we intervened beforehand, we usually just let them carry on and try to monitor their position." (CTV News, 4/5/09 via Wikipedia)

Incident: Africa Star escapes boarding

The Israeli-owned, Malta-registered Africa Star escapes a boarding attempt in the Indian Ocean en route to Kenya.

Rafi Danieli, managing director of the Zim shipping line, said company headquarters had received a message from the captain of the ship on Saturday morning saying that pirates in speedboats were firing at him and attempting to take over the ship.

The pirates continued to trail the ship, the Africa Star, but finally gave up, reportedly after the appearance of a plane sent out by the British Pirate Reporting Centre, which is in the area.

(BBC, 4/7/09 via Wikipedia)

Incident: Bulk carrier chased

A bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is approached by two "speed boats, blue and white in colour, with 3 or 4 persons onboard."

The speed boats came as close as 0.40 nm. The Master sounded the general alarm and whistle. An Indian warship was informed. Two helicopters from Japan and India responded and the pirates aborted their attempt on sighting the helicopters.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Container ship attacked

A container ship, not otherwise identified, is fired upon "approximately 420NM southeast of Eyl, Somalia." The vessel is pursued by two skiffs, each holding four uniformed men. The "bridge was hit by bullets ... The vessel conducted evasive maneuvers from port to starboard side to prevent a boarding. Just over 20 minutes later, the two pirate skiffs reduced their speed and abandoned the attack." (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)